All Have Sinned

This evening, we are going to bite off a significant amount of Scripture in Romans. We’ll do our best to get through this in one shot… as Paul is working to set the foundations for his argument in the letter.

What is his “argument” or purpose in writing this letter?

Romans theme is God’s gift of righteousness revealed through Christ and received by faith.

Now, if you are having a conversation with someone and you are working up to the reveal of the big idea, what are some steps you might take before revealing your point?

Paul begins working to set some foundations for his argument before revealing his main point. Why and how does he do this?

One… it’s always a good idea to find common ground with the person you are conversing with. The more common ground you establish, the more likely a person will engage deeper in the conversation.

If you and I were to sit down and have a conversation about… sewing… you might find me at a loss for words. I would listen, but not have much to offer regarding the topic. Nor would I know if what you had to offer was accurate information.

Now, if we were to sit down and talk about overhauling a Chevy 350 engine, I might have some things to offer and I would know if you knew what you were talking about as well!

Paul begins the conversation by focusing in on familiar territory… words the audience would understand. Remember, he is working his working to establish the main idea of his letter and so he begins with information they all knew well.

Romans 2:12–13 NIV

12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.

First, let’s define some terms in this passage.

What does Paul mean by the law?

Some commentators would suggest that Paul is not referring to the law of God, but rather the will of God, for which I disagree. I believe Paul is referring to God’s law and we will see why throughout this study tonight.

The original word used here for law is anomos meaning lawlessness or without the law.

Law defined is an orderly system of rules and regulations by which a society is governed. In the Bible, a unique law code was established by direct revelation from God to direct His people in their worship, in their relationship to Him, and their social relationships with one another.

God’s will could be seen in the law… for instance His will is for His people not to sin. But to replace words here, I think, is a mistake.

Second, with this in mind, we need to understand that Paul is simply speaking in terms the people will know and even agree with… what did he just establish in this passage regarding the law?

Whether you are apart from the law or under the law… if you have broken the law, you will perish. The law… is the law… is the law.

And then look again at verse 13… those who hear AND obey will be declared righteous.

Now… is there anything wrong with what Paul just said? NO! He is absolutely right! BUT… NO ONE was able to do this!!!

Does this mean that God’s law was too strict and impossible to follow? No… it means humankind’s sinful nature proved to be a difficult obstacle to overcome. We… in our broken nature… simply could not live up to God’s standard.

AND REMEMBER: We started out above all of this! Mankind made the choice to sin… God did not make us for sin…

Paul is being a bit ornery here in my opinion… in what way? HE IS APPEALING TO THE SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE PEOPLE. He is drawing them into the conversation.

Think about it… those he is talking to would not identify themselves as “apart” from the law or disobedient to the law. They more likely were viewing themselves as followers of God’s law… but is that really who they were?

You’ve heard me use the term legalism and sometimes even equate that with the word religion.

What is the problem with legalism and even religion? It is focused on what we do instead of who we are.

Going through the motions… saying what we are told to say, doing what we are told to do… following the rules… There is nothing inherently wrong with this… except that it misses the point.

You can do all that is right… and still have a wrong heart. Righteousness is NOT something that comes from the outside in - outside through our actions… it is something that comes from the inside, out - from our heart to our actions.

Righteousness… is NOT something you can legislate. A society can be civil… and not be righteous. It’s a matter of the heart, and that is the point Paul is trying to make.

So Paul goes next to the relationship the Jews had with the Law...

The Jews and the Law

Romans 2:17–21 NIV

17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; 18 if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?

Romans 2:25 NIV

25 Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised.

Oof… Paul just went for the jugular! Verse 25 is a bit… on the brutal side… but remember, Paul is not speaking to the Jews as an outsider… he himself is a Jew that has found righteousness not through the law, but through Jesus.

Circumcision set the Jews apart from the rest of the world. It was the physical mark of their allegiance, if you will, to God, His law, and His ways.

What Paul is saying is… what good is it to have the mark… and no commitment? “Do you not teach yourself?”

And here’s the deal… just as the Jews were susceptible to their self righteous thinking… so can believers slip into this mode as well.

Today is a day of information… the world is an open book… your life is on display… and the whole world is reading it.

Think about it, we all have a physical presence… meaning we have people we converse with face to face… people we see in town… people we talk with on the phone. We all have daily interactions with people around us.

Many, if not most of us, also have a social presence… a media presence… we have allowed the world to see.

For some of us, I know what games you like to play, movies you like to watch, books you read, music you listen to, people you associate with, events you attend, places you like to eat at, people you like to eat with, people you are mad at, places you complain against, etc… and I don’t have to go hunting for this information… all I have to do is turn on Facebook.

I can see it… and the world can see it. And I’m not here to judge or condemn or anything like that… but sometimes we can confuse the world regarding our faith. Similar to what Paul said, do we not teach ourselves what we teach others?

Church, the world is being turned off by the “holier than thou” mentality and rightfully so! They don’t need to be told they are doing bad by people who are doing as they are!

WHOA PASTOR! WAIT JUST A MINUTE! Are you saying I am not doing a good enough job living out my faith? Are you saying I’m not DOING a good enough job? How can you come against me like that?

I’m not… the CAUTION Paul is giving in Scripture and that I am repeating tonight is… be careful on what you cite as your source of righteousness! It’s NOT about what you do… it is about who you are in Christ Jesus.

You’re actions matter… but they do not define you. Your walk with Christ defines you. My BEING a believer impacts what I do and how I act. How I act and behave is not what makes me a Christian… who I serve is what makes me a Christian.

I am a flawed human being now walking in the grace of my God! And I hope that my daily actions bring honor and glory to Him. But I am not saved because of what I do… I am saved because of what He has done!

So what is the answer… what do we do with this revelation?

We Change our Tone.

Romans 3:21–31 NIV

21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. 27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

We acknowledge that we are not made righteous through the law… but through the One that came to fulfill the law. We are made righteous by faith.

Alright… zoom in on verse 24 for a moment… what does it mean that “all are justified freely by His grace?”

What is justification?

Justification is the process by which sinful human beings are made acceptable to a holy God.

Justification is God’s declaration that the demands of His law have been fulfilled in the righteousness of His Son. The basis for this is Jesus’ substitutionary work on the cross - He paid the price we could not pay.

When God justifies, He charges the sins of man to Christ and credits the righteousness of Christ to the believer.

2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

GOD DID IT… NOT US! God, through His Son Jesus, saved us from our sins… not us! So in light of this, Paul says we have NOTHING to boast about in and of ourselves… but we have EVERY REASON to boast about the Lord!

In other words, don’t say “Look at me and all the good I’m doing” but rather say “Look at Christ and all the good He is offering!”

Christ gave all so we could be free of our sins… free of the consequence of our sins.

The power and message of the gospel is not do better, live better, etc. The power and message is give your life to Jesus… be saved by the One who is truly the best ever!

His salvation is open to all… His love is extended to all people. His grace and mercy is available to all who will call on His name.

So let’s talk about what Jesus can do… let’s offer the world hope and peace through faith, not behavior modification. Our attitudes and behavior will be transformed as Jesus comes alive within us.

So what lesson do I hope we are teaching ourselves tonight? That our righteousness is not earned… it is a gift we have received from Jesus. And that gift is available to EVERYONE… not because they are good… but because our GOD IS GOOD!

Closing Prayer.